Riding a hot streak
8
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 8-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 8
Kick Ash BBQ
Kick Ash BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1256 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1582
peak 1585 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Sep 11, 2015
latest Oct 2, 2026 · 11.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
1 reserve · wins it all 23% of the time
Category wins
3
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
8
62% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
8
straight overall top-10s, still running · 3 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 37%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
349.12 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 343.26 (+5.86)
Walk rate
69%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.11
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.26 · weakest Brisket (147.60)
Road miles
2,735
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 782 mi
Schedule strength
64%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1581)
Purse competed for
$89K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
608.82 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
343.26 / 360
9 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Kick Ash BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
52 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,268 of the rated field
- Contests
- 53
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1659
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Kick Ash BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Kick Ash BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,257 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1586
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,267 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1583
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,260 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1603
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Kick Ash BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,261 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1593
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,255 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1583
Level with Kick Ash BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Ole Mae I BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Ribs For Your Pleasure | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN E'S BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| T Daddys BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 149.0628 | 167.26 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 178.8572 | 147.9428 | 167.10 | top 39% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.0344 | 146.7884 | 154.06 | top 80% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 153.1544 | 143.9772 | 147.60 | top 89% |
“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.
By field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 37% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 3 | top 22% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 61% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) | 2 | 1 | 2 | top 4% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 9% | Jul 18, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
9 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
2.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
4 of 13 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited
10
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
13 entries · 1 win · 9 calls
First title
Jul 18, 2026
Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)
Opponents faced
354
finished ahead 286 times, behind 223
Longest layoff
3.9 yrs
May 14, 2022 → Apr 3, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
202610 milestones
- First overall top-10 Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First overall podium Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First Reserve Championship Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score350.8456 Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First category win (Chicken) Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)
- First Grand Championship Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)
- 10th tracked contest Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)
- Peak power rating (1585) Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY)
20221 milestone
- First call BBQ, BLESSINGS & THE VFW (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20211 milestone
- Career-best overall score631.8860 Best of the Midwest BBQ
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Independence Fire & Ice BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +20.1 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 12, 2026 |
| +18.7 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | Jul 18, 2026 |
| +18 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 13, 2026 |
| +17.5 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) | Aug 28, 2026 |
| +16.6 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) | Aug 28, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.8 | Independence Fire & Ice BBQ | Sep 11, 2015 |
| -8.4 | Smokin in the Valley | Apr 3, 2026 |
| -8 | Best of the Midwest BBQ | Oct 22, 2021 |
| -3.3 | Poosa-Q | Jun 14, 2019 |
| -2.8 | Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 2, 2026 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 89% | top 23% | 99.4% | 95.2% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Argos, IN | 10 / 19 (337.6340) | 7 (169.6684) | 10 (167.9656) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY) Paxton, IL | 4 / 18 (342.2628) | 10 (164.5484) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) Cherry Valley, IL | 1 / 24 (357.7144) | 4 (178.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) Cherry Valley, IL | 1 / 25 (354.2744) | 1 (180) | 8 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 1 / 28 (353.7028) | 1 (180) | 8 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 4 / 27 (347.9656) | 5 (174.2628) | 6 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 4 / 37 (343.9428) | 3 (173.1200) | 9 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 2 / 40 (350.8456) | 2 (177.7028) | 7 (173.1428) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smokin in the Valley 🏅 Linn Valley, KS | 29 / 31 (592.3656) | 30 (149.0628) | 26 (150.8344) | 29 (146.7884) | 28 (145.6800) |
| May 14, 2022 | BBQ, BLESSINGS & THE VFW (ONE MEAT RIBS) Oconomowoc, WI | — | — | 2 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 37 / 44 (631.8860) | 34 (159.4060) | 23 (163.9772) | 41 (155.3484) | 36 (153.1544) |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Poosa-Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 29 / 48 (301.0168) | 30 (150.2512) | 29 (150.7656) | — | — |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO | 71 / 76 (602.2056) | 67 (150.2512) | 71 (147.9428) | 41 (160.0344) | 72 (143.9772) |